April 26th Shot down of 2 P-61 by friendly fire

[Rolfeb]

At April 26 46 2 P-61, Black Widow were shot down by friendly fire north of Augsburg. One was the Black Widow with the serial # 42-39559, documented MACR 14078.
The second one crashed behind the lines and therefore no MACR is available but I belive it was the plane with the serial # 42-39670 but not sure. Plane belonged to 415th Night Fighter Squadron.
Is there any info available? Crew bailed out but no names availabe yet.
Every info is welcomed

Thanks in advance

Rolf

[Horst Weber]

Good Morning Rolf !

P-61, AAF s/n 42-39670 left the U.S. for Europe on February 7th, 1945. It was assigned to 415th NFS on February 15th, 1945. The a/c fell to storage on June 2nd, 1945 and was stricken off duty at February 8th, 1946.

All the best,

Horst Weber

[Rolfeb]

Hello Horst,

thanks for this info.
Hope I can find the correct plane which was shot down April 26th.

Rolf

[Faenor]

Hi,

interesting information - really in 29th April 1946 ? That was some night mission about vicinity of Augsburg ?

Faenor

[Rolfeb]

Hi Faenor,

sorry, it was April 26th 1945.

Thanks for your remark.
Hope somebode can help. Perhaps there is a list of all losses of P-61.

Thanks
Rolf

[mhuxt]

Hi Rolf,

Sounds like an aircraft of the 417th NFS, which went operational with the P-61 on 24 April, 1945. There's a note in "Queen of the Night Skies" that one of their aircraft was lost to friendly flak while protecting the bridgeheads at Ulm, Dillingen and Donauwoerth - just the right area.

There's no note of a second aircraft (though I recall "reading somewhere" that it was *three* aircraft lost this way!), nor of serial number. I'll have a squizz at Joe Baugher's site.

Cheers,

Mark

[mhuxt]

Some info here - apparently the second P-61 was hit by friendly AAA fire but struggled back to Giebelstadt, another crashed on landing after a similar patrol on the same night:

http://forum.armyairforces.com/tm.as...mpage=1#180119

The one written off in the crash at Giebelstadt was 42-39420: see this page (which I think has been "lifted" from Joe Baugher's site...)

http://napoleon130.tripod.com/p61blackwidow/id23.html

Looks like the other aircraft (hit by AAA fire, returned on one engine, crew unhurt) must have gone back on ops / been disposed of at some other time.

Maybe try posting in the Army Air Forces Forum thread - "Brickeisel" has written a history of Beaufighters in US service, knows his way around the 417th NFS.

[Rolfeb]

Hi Max,

thanks for your feed back. Seems to be difficult to find out the real details. When I read page 5 of the MACR there is clearly stated that 2 planes were shot down at Bridge head Dillingen by friendly AAA. One of 417th NFS (Cartmell) and the other one belonged to 415th NFS.

Hope I can find it out.

Thanks again
Rolf

Hi,

I loaned my USAAF microfilm reel on 415 Squadron to Jerry Scutts in the UK. Apparently he died and his collection went to the Imperial War Museum? No doubt, among this material is my microfilm reel and photos loaned to him.

Norman Malayney

[Rolfeb]

Hi Norman,
very interesting. What can we do to get back your micro film? Is it possible to order a other one in the National Archives in US?

Regards
Rolf